


Oh, chute!

by chidoriXblossom



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Gay Male Character, Thunderbirds are Go! - Freeform, gay virgil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26044249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chidoriXblossom/pseuds/chidoriXblossom
Summary: From the His Type universe.  Ray is staying on Tracy Island and gets to see Virgil's launch chute for the very first time.
Relationships: Virgil Tracy/Original Character(s), Virgil Tracy/Ray Swanson
Comments: 14
Kudos: 22





	Oh, chute!

**Author's Note:**

> Chiddi is back XD
> 
> Finally got around to writing this now that uni is over and done with (woohoo)
> 
> Requested by Gumnut.

The first time Ray got invited over to Tracy Island when Virgil wasn’t on vacation he knew there was a high chance his boyfriend would be called away on a mission. He was prepared for it. 

Virgil explained the normal operating procedure and how he would have to leave at a moment’s notice if Thunderbird Two was required. How the alarm would sound throughout the house and whatever was going on would be dropped in an instant. How the villa would rumble with the launch of at least one roaring Thunderbird.

Ray was ready. Ready to step back out of the way and quietly observe. Support Virgil from a distance as he rushed out to do what he did best - save lives.

They were in the kitchen when the call came in, and Ray found himself caught up in the rush of movement as he abandoned breakfast and followed Virgil up the stairs and into the lounge. John was relaying the situation, Scott already there standing tall as Commander and Chief.

Thunderbirds One and Two were scrambled. Ray’s eyes tracked Virgil as his boyfriend ran towards a painting on the wall near the piano. He stood on what looked to be some kind of pressure plate just below it, and then to Ray’s surprise the whole picture tipped and Virgil’s body slid headfirst down into some kind of chute.

Ray crossed the lounge just in time to see him disappear as the picture rotated back down into place within the rocky wall.

Oh. So that was how he got down to the hangars when he was called out. 

Interesting. It was like a secret passage from superhero comics. High tech. Efficient. And with Virgil involved definitely a little bit sexy too. The hero rushing off to save the day again. 

Ray didn’t even take notice of how or where Scott disappeared from. He was too busy grinning with pride over how awesome his boyfriend was. 

~*~

“I’m really sorry I was away all day.”

With a fond roll of his eyes Ray continued to gently rub Virgil’s damp hair dry. It was almost midnight, Virgil wasn’t long home and had just showered and changed into some comfortable sleepwear. Ray was taking the opportunity to enjoy some closeness by kneeling on the bed behind his boyfriend and tending to him as Virgil inhaled a sandwich - probably the first thing he’d had all day since the breakfast he’d barely had time to touch.

“Stop with the apologising. We both knew this would probably happen. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Ray downed the towel and combed his fingers through Virgil’s now fluffy hair, then let his hands slide to his shoulders where he inspected some bruising.

Virgil had been wearing his exo suit again apparently. Ray was quickly developing a minor case of anxiety towards that particular piece of equipment. It may allow Virgil to pull off incredible rescues, but every time he used it his body suffered. As a physiotherapist Ray had a lot of sympathy for each of Virgil’s overworked muscles and joints.

It was just bruising and some minor pain this time around, but what about the next one?

“Your uniform has padding, doesn’t it?” he asked, letting his warm hands brush over the contours of Virgil’s back. He found a scar and caressed it with his thumb. 

“Yeah, but it can’t be too thick or it gets in the way,” Virgil explained. “Our suits provide as much protection as possible without compromising our range of movements, but nothing is foolproof.”

Ray hummed. He understood and believed that, knowing that Brains would never let any of them go out with faulty equipment or inadequate protection, but it didn’t mean Ray had to like it. Still, this was Virgil’s life and his choice. Ray had made a vow to support him however he could, even if that meant keeping quiet about a lot of his worries for Virgil’s safety and wellbeing. 

Not knowing what else to say, and aware that Virgil was tired and needing some sleep, Ray dropped a kiss to his left shoulder and went to brush his teeth, taking Virgil’s towels to hang on the heated rail to dry. 

He was just rinsing his mouth out when he spotted Virgil’s reflection in the mirror as his boyfriend lingered in the doorway behind him. Their eyes met. Ray tilted his head curiously. Watched as Virgil stepped inside and walked up behind him. A pair of strong arms wrapped around Ray’s middle, warm and comforting. Chocolate brown eyes stared at his reflection.

“You’re upset.” That rich baritone voice might have made Ray shiver if it hadn’t been for the obvious concern in those two words. 

Ray shook his head and leaned back gently into Virgil’s hold. “I just worry about you,” he admitted.

Virgo’s gaze never left him. “It’s my job.”

Ray could tell he was looking for a little reassurance and was more than happy to provide it. He leaned his head against Virgil’s. “And you’re amazing at it,” he smiled. “You know I support you all the way, but since I’m a physiotherapist and have already had to put you back together once, me worrying is an occupational hazard.”

His hands found Virgil’s arms around his waist and gripped them gently. “So long as you understand that and I accept that your job is dangerous then everything will be fine.”

Some brightness came back into Virgil’s tired eyes as he offered Ray a soft smile. “Thank you.”

With another smile Ray turned so he could press a kiss to Virgil’s temple, then slipped out of his grasp and headed out the bathroom. “Hurry up and come to bed. You need cuddles and sleep.”

He heard Virgil chuckle followed by the tap turning on and Ray climbed into bed. Virgil joined him once he’d brushed his teeth and together they snuggled down under the duvet and tangled themselves together comfortably. 

“I wish I was on vacation so we could properly spend time together,” the dark haired Tracy murmured.

That would have been nice but this time around they hadn’t been able to overlap their vacation days. Disappointing but just one of these things. At least they’d been able to see each other at all.

“You could always take me with you on your next mission,” Ray grinned. It was a joke of course and they both knew that, but it got the desired effect by making Virgil smile.

“Believe me, if I thought Scott would allow it I would.”

Ray chuckled and adjusted the duvet a little. “But hey, I got to see you disappear off down your superhero slide. That was pretty cool.”

Virgil blinked and a dark brow lifted towards his hairline. “Superhero slide?” 

“Whatever you call it,” Ray grinned. “Your secret opening in the wall where you lean back against that picture. I never would have known that was there.”

This time Virgil chuckled. “My launch chute. And that’s the whole idea.”

“Well it was pretty awesome,” Ray told him, then smiled fondly as Virgil barely suppressed a yawn. “Maybe I’ll get to see you in your uniform marching towards your ship while I’m here.”

Virgil just hummed at that, eyes already closed. With a happy little smile Ray pressed one last kiss to his lips and settled down. Tomorrow was fast approaching and he wanted to be well rested in case Virgil didn’t get called out.

Sleep came quickly for them both.

~*~

It was easy to look lazy when compared to a Tracy. No other family did what they did, had such a strong work ethic and commitment to their duties. 

Sure, they lived a life of luxury when not on call thanks to their immense wealth, but considering how often they put themselves at risk to help others they deserved to live like billionaires on the rare days they got a chance. 

And as Virgil’s guest and someone who had now been fully welcomed into the Tracy clan, that chance to relax on the beautiful tropical paradise that was the family’s island was fully extended to Ray as well. Should he choose to, he could lounge by the pool all day, take a walk around the island or watch movies in Virgil’s studio. He could. But he didn’t. He didn’t do any of that. 

When he was on Tracy Island and his partner was either called out or taking a well earned rest, Ray wanted to contribute. Even if it was only small. And that was what brought him to Thunderbird Two’s hangar, following Gordon along the walkway above the huge green cargo ship. Each of them carried a large box in their arms, full of medical supplies ready to be put into storage.

“Thanks for your help with this, Ray,” Gordon said over his shoulder. “Normally this is Max’s job but Brains is working on him right now.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ray smiled. “I prefer to earn my keep when I’m here. Never been one for sitting around.”

He’d met Gordon at the pool when he’d decided to go for an early morning dip, and left Virgil in bed to sleep until he woke. The Thunderbird Two pilot had still been well within the land of dreams when Ray had stirred, so he’d left him a cute little note on his tablet and tiptoed out.

It had been after their swim that Gordon had mentioned the supplies he needed to move, to which Ray had naturally offered to help.

“It’s just here,” Gordon said, indicating a door off the walkway that was cut into the volcanic rock. “Now, let’s see if I can remember the code for this thing.”

As he waited Ray looked over the railing and admired the green hull of his partner’s impressive aircraft. An opening above let the sunlight stream in, giving her paintwork a brilliant shine. She stood proud and tall up on her landing struts, silent as she too took rest. Ray almost felt like he could reach out and touch her from where he was.

He was actually here, standing in the home base of the Thunderbirds. Wow. He still struggled to get his head around that sometimes.

“Ugh, looks like Virgil changed the code again,” Gordon grumbled to his left. “He’s such an ass.”

Ray let out a breath of amusement. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason for it.”

Gordon let his shoulders slump dramatically. “He got in a tizzy when Alan and I ate all the snacks and finished off his coffee one time. Now he hides his own stuff away like a hamster hoarding its food.”

The mental image of Virgil scurrying off with arms full of confectionery to hide it from the rest of his family made Ray snigger. He knew the older Tracy had a sweet tooth and worshipped his coffee, but to go to this length seemed a little extreme. Gordon and Alan must be chronic thieves. 

A warning beacon on the wall started to flash and Ray’s attention was quickly pulled away. He also heard some kind of machinery start to come to life from somewhere below him.

“Oh. Sounds like Thunderbird Two is being deployed.” Gordon tapped a wall panel. “John, need me to assist?”

Ray turned and saw John’s little holographic image appear. _“Negative, Gordon. Virgil can handle this one on his own.”_

“F.A.B.”

Ray looked back at the green ship with a slight frown. He’d hoped Virgil might have been able to get a bit more sleep. He’d been exhausted last night when he’d got back.

Then again, this was normal for the Tracy family. They were all used to it. So long as Virgil came back safely that was all that mattered.

The situation at least gave Ray an opportunity to see how his gorgeous hero boarded his craft whenever a call came through. Speed was of the essence in their line of work, so Ray fully expected there to be some kind of sophisticated delivery system in place to carry Virgil safely to Thunderbird Two.

He glanced around for any sign of a platform or walkway, wondering where Virgil’s chute from the lounge exited. Where did he gear up? Or did that happen during flight?

Gordon must have noticed him looking because he pointed up towards the back wall. “Watch there.”

Looking to where the younger Tracy indicated, Ray saw an opening in the rocks high above Two’s launch bay. It looked to be a man made tunnel, lit up inside and with some kind of rail mechanism protruding from the end of it. 

Ray felt his heart rate begin to climb. Surely Virgil’s chute didn’t exit all the way up there!

As he watched, the mechanism slid out and extended to just above the open top hatch of Thunderbird Two’s cockpit, and Ray took notice of black and yellow hazard stripes... 

And was that a set of hand rails?!

Something else came hurtling down the mechanism, like a roller coaster that engineers had just not bothered to finish, and Ray caught a flash of unmistakable black hair and a strong body clad in blue.

Virgil, face down and head first, flying towards the end of the extended chute! A harness dropped him as he came to an immediate halt, leaving him in complete free fall.

“Holy shit!” Ray’s heart leapt into his throat and then plummeted into his gut, but his words went unnoticed.

He could only watch as his boyfriend did a fine impression of Tarzan, caught those handlebars and swung down through Two’s hatch and out of sight. 

The loud clunk of the hatch shutting eliminated any chance of Ray catching another glimpse of him, but the physio was frozen by a mix of shock and horror. His jaw hung open like a cartoon character’s. He didn’t even realise he’d dropped the box of supplies, or that he was now clinging to the railing so hard his knuckles were white.

The tractor unit started to roll, pulling out the pods between Two’s landing struts, and then she sank onto the one that was required. As the whir of her systems coming online started up Ray was shocked back into reality by a tentative tap on the shoulder.

“Um, are you okay?”

He tore his shocked gaze away from the Thunderbird and fixed it on Gordon, who looked more confused by his reaction than anything else. “Tell me I didn’t just see that!”

A blink, and then a definite twinkle in those mischievous caramel eyes. “If you mean Virgil literally swinging into action by the use of a really fast launch chute that would scare most normal people half to death, then I’m afraid I can’t.”

“I’m a normal person!” 

Gordon grinned. “Cool, huh? He definitely has the most exciting launch sequence. Scott’s is horrible. It’s a vertical drop. But they’re all well tested and maintained.”

“What?!” Was Gordon messing with him? Actually, given what he’d just witnessed with his own eyes, probably not.

How on Earth was something like that considered safe?! All it would take was one minor mishap and the consequences could be catastrophic.

Could? No, no, no. They absolutely _would_ be catastrophic!

What if the harness didn’t release Virgil properly, or too early? What if he timed his drop wrong and smashed himself into the thick layer of Thunderbird Two’s fuselage. Or missed entirely and went skiting off over her hull only to end up plummeting to the concrete floor however many feet below it was. A lot of feet. A likely terminal amount of feet if nothing was there to catch him. That’s all Ray knew.

An old fashioned fireman’s pole would be safer, and Ray thought even those were questionable at best. 

The Tracys really were something else. Otherworldly almost. With capabilities far beyond those of mere mortals. 

And Ray was dating one of them.

He let the rail take his weight and watched as Thunderbird Two taxied out of her bay, swung round to the right and disappeared. Impressive and an honour to witness, but Ray was still distracted by Virgil’s launch chute.

His boyfriend, for all his skills and know-how, clearly had a screw loose. 

~*~

Virgil returned home just in time for lunch in high spirits and fortunately without any new bruises to add to his collection. The rescue had been a fairly quick one and all souls had been saved, thanks to the combined efforts of both man and machine.

Ray was proud of him, but mostly just glad to have him back. He kept quiet about that horrifying roller coaster harness contraption that had fired his boyfriend into the cockpit with little more care than one would use throwing a ball of paper into a trashcan. 

At least, that’s how it had looked to Ray.

The impact and strain that had to be put on Virgil’s shoulders every time he did that must be immense. No wonder he was so well built if he was doing that on a daily basis. It proved those muscles were more than just for show.

The couple sat out on the sun lounger waiting patiently for Scott to get the barbeque going. Apparently Virgil was banned from it for some strange reason, and Ray wasn’t sure whether or not he should ask why. 

“And then the mine shaft caved in and I had to dig myself out.”

Ray jolted and immediately spun to face Virgil, where he was met with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. “That got your attention.”

The dark haired heartthrob got smacked in the face with a cushion for that. “You’re such an ass, Virgil Tracy.”

Ray found himself grinning when Virgil laughed and flailed at the same time, almost slipping off the edge of the lounger. Ray caught his hand and hauled him back up, resulting in them coming nose to nose with each other. 

“That’s better,” Virgil commented. “You seemed kinda quiet.”

Hearing that made Ray blink in surprise, and then he realised that he had been a little withdrawn. Not on purpose. He’d just been thinking about things.

He reached out and let his fingers card through Virgil’s hair. “Sorry, love. I didn’t mean to be.”

As he always did now, Virgil leaned into his touch. Those brown eyes watched Ray tenderly. “So, what’s up?”

Ray considered the question, then leaned back against the cushions and folded his arms. “Hmm… I’m trying to figure out if my boyfriend is a nutcase or not.”

His statement made Virgil’s brows shoot up as the dark haired man tilted his head. Then a small smile appeared. “Is that so?”

“Mmhm,” Ray nodded. “See, I was under the impression I was dating the sensible Tracy. But then I saw him come flying out of this weird unfinished roller coaster thing and free fall into his ship.”

Virgil made no attempt to defend himself and instead kept grinning. “Oops.”

Ray gave him a half hearted kick in the ankle. “Don’t ‘oops’ me. I nearly had a heart attack.”

He saw Virgil nip his lower lip and could just tell he was trying not to laugh. “You shouldn’t be that surprised. We met after I fell off a bridge, remember.”

“Yeah, and I had to fix you.” He poked Virgil on the nose and couldn’t help but smile when the other briefly went cross-eyed. “You could have warned me, you know. If I go grey I’m blaming you.”

A pout appeared on Virgil’s lips, but the twinkle of amusement was still clearly there in his eyes. “I get enough of that from Scott already, don’t you start.”

Ray blinked. “Scott’s going grey?”

A nod from Virgil. “Starting to, a little at his temples. I’m just waiting for him to start dyeing his hair.”

Ray couldn’t help but turn to look, only to see Scott looking right back at them.

“Did I hear my name?” the eldest Tracy called from the barbeque, which was now just starting to smell pretty good.

“No, you didn’t,” Virgil waved him off, and then he and Ray sniggered like two teenagers who’d just avoided being caught by a teacher.

As their mirth subsided a little Virgil gently nudged their shoulders together. “So, at risk of opening another can of worms, how do you feel about my superhero slide now that you’ve seen it in action?”

“I think you’re a nutcase and an adrenaline junky,” Ray told him matter-of-factly. “It’s scary and I dread to think what would happen if something went wrong, but I trust you and I trust Brains to make sure that never happens.”

Another nudge to the shoulder from Virgil. “Thank you.”

Ray’s smile at that turned into a soft smirk. “And once I get past the scary part it’s actually hot as hell and looks kinda fun.”

Virgil’s eyes lit up. “I could always let you have a shot sometime?”

Ray shoved another pillow in his face. “Absolutely not!”

Their laughter carried out across the pool and garden until Scott called them up for food, and they hurried over hand in hand.

Virgil might be crazy and superhuman with all his stunts he pulled as an IR operative, but Ray would love him no matter what. It was just who Virgil was, and Ray wouldn’t change him for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed. It was nice to visit Virgil and Ray again and I hope to do more asks for them. Please let me know what you think ^^


End file.
